A chiropractor is not an MD. Chiropractors earn a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree, which is a separate doctoral-level credential with different training, a different scope of practice, and different licensing exams than a Medical Doctor degree. Both are legally recognized healthcare providers, but the two professions differ in what they can diagnose, treat, and prescribe.
What Degree Does a Chiropractor Hold?
Chiropractors complete a four-year doctoral program and graduate with the title “Doctor of Chiropractic” or DC. Their coursework covers anatomy, physiology, neurology, radiology, and spinal health, with heavy emphasis on spinal manipulation and biomechanics. Clinical training takes place largely in on-campus clinics where students practice hands-on techniques under supervision.
Medical doctors also complete four years of postgraduate education, but their curriculum focuses on pathology, biochemistry, pharmacology, and broad clinical medicine. Instead of clinic-based manipulation training, MD students rotate through six-week blocks in surgery, pediatrics, internal medicine, and various specialties like dermatology and orthopedics. The biggest structural difference comes after graduation: MDs must complete three to nine additional years of supervised residency training before they can practice independently. Chiropractors can begin practicing immediately after passing their licensing exams, though optional residency programs do exist. The VA, for example, offers a 12-month full-time chiropractic residency focused on working within integrated healthcare systems.
Different Licensing Exams
The two professions take entirely separate board exams. MDs must pass the three-step United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), administered jointly by the National Board of Medical Examiners and the Federation of State Medical Boards. Each step corresponds to a different stage of training, and all three must be passed to obtain an unrestricted medical license.
Chiropractors take the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) exam series instead. The content reflects their scope of practice, testing knowledge of spinal manipulation, diagnostic imaging, and musculoskeletal conditions rather than the full breadth of medical and surgical training covered on the USMLE.
Scope of Practice: What Each Can Do
This is where the distinction matters most in practical terms. MDs can prescribe medications, order any diagnostic test, perform surgery, and treat the full range of human diseases. Chiropractors cannot do any of those things. In California, for instance, a chiropractic license explicitly does not authorize the holder to practice surgery or to sever or penetrate tissues of human beings. Most states have similar restrictions.
Chiropractic care centers on manual manipulation of the spine and musculoskeletal system. The core treatment is spinal adjustment, which aims to correct misalignments (called subluxations) that chiropractors believe contribute to pain and dysfunction. Some chiropractors also offer rehabilitation exercises, soft tissue therapies, and lifestyle counseling, but their toolbox does not include pharmaceutical drugs or invasive procedures.
Chiropractors can pursue specialty certifications through the American Board of Chiropractic Specialties in areas like orthopedics and neuromusculoskeletal medicine. These post-doctoral programs deepen expertise within the chiropractic framework but do not expand a DC’s scope to include MD-level interventions like prescribing or surgery.
Are Chiropractors Considered “Physicians”?
Legally, it depends on context. Under certain federal statutes, the term “physician” includes doctors of medicine, surgeons, podiatrists, dentists, optometrists, osteopathic practitioners, and chiropractors. However, chiropractors are included only within the scope of their practice as defined by state law. In workers’ compensation regulations, for example, chiropractors qualify as physicians, but their reimbursable services are limited to manual manipulation of the spine to correct a subluxation shown by X-ray or clinical findings.
Medicare follows a similar pattern. Part B covers spinal manipulation by a chiropractor to correct a vertebral subluxation, but it does not cover other services or tests a chiropractor might order, including X-rays, massage therapy, and acupuncture. After meeting the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the approved amount for the covered adjustment. By contrast, Medicare covers the full diagnostic and treatment range for MDs.
So while chiropractors are recognized as healthcare providers under federal law and can bill insurance for their services, the recognition comes with narrow boundaries that reflect the difference in training and scope.
The Historical Tension Between the Two Professions
For decades, the medical establishment actively worked to marginalize chiropractic. From 1966 to 1980, the American Medical Association maintained an ethical rule (Principle 3) that prohibited medical doctors from associating professionally with chiropractors. The AMA’s goal was to prevent MDs from referring patients to chiropractors, block chiropractors from accessing hospital diagnostic services, and stop any cooperation between the two professions.
In 1987, a federal court ruled in the landmark case Wilk v. AMA that this amounted to an illegal boycott under antitrust law. The court found the AMA had failed to show its blanket opposition to chiropractic was objectively reasonable or that it couldn’t have addressed its concerns about scientific standards through less restrictive means than a nationwide conspiracy to eliminate a licensed profession. The AMA had already revised its ethics code in 1980, and the court ordered an injunction to ensure the new position reached all members: it is ethical for a medical doctor to associate professionally with chiropractors when the doctor believes doing so serves the patient’s best interest.
That legal resolution opened the door for the collaborative relationships that exist today, where primary care doctors refer patients to chiropractors for musculoskeletal complaints and chiropractors refer patients back when symptoms fall outside their scope.
How to Tell What Kind of Doctor You’re Seeing
The credentials after a provider’s name tell you everything. “MD” means Medical Doctor. “DO” means Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, which is the other type of fully licensed physician who can prescribe, perform surgery, and practice the complete scope of medicine. “DC” means Doctor of Chiropractic.
All three use the title “Doctor,” which is where confusion often starts. If you’re looking for someone who can prescribe medication, order blood work, or manage a complex medical condition, you need an MD or DO. If you’re dealing with back pain, neck pain, or certain joint problems and want a non-pharmaceutical, hands-on approach, a chiropractor may be a good fit. The two aren’t interchangeable, but for the right problem, they can complement each other.